Did your financial adviser fail you? Here's how to know--and some new ways to hire a replacement

Instead of just throwing in the towel--a real possibility with the kind of year investors have had--more Americans than ever are seeking professional financial advice. A leading trade group, the Financial Planning Association, has seen double-digit growth in the number of people asking about planners on its website fpanet.org) Inquiries to the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors napfa.org have doubled since 1999.

That's good--we could all use smart advice--but I'd bet that many of those people are looking to replace an adviser they feel has let them down in the bear market of the past three...